Words, Words, Words Read a Book About Words

Welcome back to the Independence Place Blog! Last year we posted about creating a summer reading list and suggested a wide variety of genres to draw from. Summer is coming up again here in Cranston, RI, so we thought it was a good time for more book ideas!

This time, we’re going to focus on a single genre: books about words — okay, that’s not a traditional genre like fiction, fantasy, or mystery, but there are some delightful books about words we think you’ll enjoy. So get one of these titles from your favorite app, bookstore, or the library and head to your favorite place to read in your apartment and get wordy!

Recommended Books about Words

If you miss the word activity books of your childhood, this one's for you. The Word Circus is full of anagrams, rhymes, palindromes, drawings of kangaroos — really, what more could you want out of a word book? There's a whole section of word games and a plethora of puns. If you need a break from etymological history, this is the perfect dose of lexical nonsense.

Few things are more satisfying than a well-executed insult. Now, I'm not condoning insulting any of your friends and acquaintances, but the art of the perfect jab is worth pursuing for its own sake. The Snark Handbook: Insult Edition is a clever collection of retorts, snide comments, and put-downs, all worth reading even if you never end up using them. And if you do ever wind up in a situation that warrants a biting comeback, you'll be well prepared.

OK, so this is sort of cheating — Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves is really more about punctuation than words themselves. But, if you're going to read one strict punctuation book, let it be this laugh out loud one. Truss entrains as she explains the proper (and improper) placement of punctuation; even going so far as to provide apostrophes (and apostrophe cover up ) stickers with the book. Punctuation is often overlooked, but it is necessary to communicate exact meaning! A panda who eats shoots and leaves is entirely different from a panda who eats, shoots, and leaves, after all.

There you have it! Books about words. Are you a word nerd? Did your favorite wordy book make our list? Share your favorite books about words in the comments so everyone can add to their summer reading list.

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